Finding someone to watch a cat and a boat simultaneously is one of offshore sailing's hardest logistics problems
When Lauren cannot fly Mo home, she needs someone who is both willing to stay aboard the boat and capable of looking after a cat, which is a narrow overlap of skills. She is fortunate to have a friend named Isla nearby who can step in, but that arrangement will not always be available. Her current thinking is to bring people out to the boat to watch both Mo and the vessel together. Her advice to anyone considering sailing with an animal: think carefully about how you will handle flights home before you leave, because it gets complicated fast.
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Cargo-hold restrictions make flying back to the US with a cat nearly impossible west of Tahiti
Lauren can fly out of Tahiti with Mo in the cabin, but on the return leg, and essentially everywhere else across the South Pacific including Australia and New Zealand, he would have to travel in cargo. She considers that unacceptable unless
Why staying in one area makes wildlife spotting much more rewarding
Spending extended time anchored or moored in a single location builds a mental map of what lives there and where. Lauren Landers Sailing notes that once you know an area well, you can predict that a particular bait ball will be in its usual
Planning arrival time around light and tides on a 420-mile run
With wind averaging 10 to 13 knots and the engine on for roughly an hour while sheltered by nearby islands, Lauren Landers Sailing works through arrival math in real time. At 6 knots average, the 420-mile passage takes just under three days